Oklahoma State University alumni Walter Pegg and John Colquitt II flew the first commercial American Airlines flight from Dallas/Fort Worth to Stillwater on August 23. Captain Pegg graduated from OSU in 1991, and First Officer Colquitt earned his degree in 2008.

Johnson started working at the airport in 1971 and served as a flight examiner for many years. He evaluated many students for their commercial multi-engine licensing test through the years.

Pegg and Colquitt studied in the College of Education’s aviation sciences program. Pegg was also active in the Flying Aggies club. In addition to aviation sciences, Colquitt studied economics, graduating with magna cum laude honors. On campus, Colquitt joined Beta Theta Pi fraternity.

Their passengers on the first inbound commercial flight included OSU President Burns Hargis and First Cowgirl Ann Hargis.

“The world just got smaller for all of us. The new commercial service for Stillwater is an incredible asset for the North Central Oklahoma community,” Johnson says. “We offer free parking. The TSA line is never more than 50 people — and you can access travel to more than 200 locations with two daily flights.”

Johnson’s leadership and knowledge of aviation were instrumental in bringing the air service to Stillwater. He managed the service launch with terminal expansions and improvements.

Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission Director Victor Bird commended Stillwater on the commitment, organization, planning and support of the commercial airline service. Stillwater is only one of two communities in the United States to have established a commercial service in the last two years.

“It’s not about just flying to Dallas,” Johnson says. “This flight carries you to the second busiest hub in the U.S. and connects you all over the world.”

Johnson encourages people to check out the flight schedule, fares and cost comparison at FlyStillwaterOK.com.

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